门锁 (mén suǒ) — door lock, gate lock | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

door lockgate lock

Measure word · 把

。
Qǐng yòng yào shi bǎ mén suǒ dǎ kāi.
Please use the key to open the door lock.
门锁，。
Zhè ge mén suǒ tài jiù le, yīng gāi huàn gè xīn de.
This door lock is too old; it should be replaced with a new one.
门锁。
Wǒ gāng gěi mén zhuāng shàng le xīn de mén suǒ.
I just installed a new door lock on the door.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

门 is a door and 锁 is a lock, so it is a lock that belongs on a door.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鎖; 锁 is its simplified writing.

金𧴪鎖

Meaning part形符xíngfú

金金jīnmetal

Sound part声符shēngfú

𧴪

𧴪𧴪鎖suǒ

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鎖 pairs 金 (metal) with a sound component, 𧴪; the simplified 锁 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the original parts.

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